What to do? Well, let's see, I have been alternating days of rollerblading with days of walking/running 4 miles. So, I put in place some movement and fitness. Frankly, this is a big part of the plan. I am watching how people age, specifically my 77 year old uncle, who had been active as a farmer years ago, but who is now extremely sedentary. He got pneumonia and then after a few days in the hospital he was sent to a rehab center to gain strength. He falls easily and is easily fatigued by walking. I contrast this to one of the women I golf with who is also 77. She is out playing 9 holes as easily as any of us. She works part time at the race track.
If I live to be 77 I want to have her lifestyle. It's really come to me that what I do with the next 20 years will decide how I live the 20 after that.
I have been steadily gaining weight over the past year because I am eating treats daily rather than as treats. I eat an amazing quantity of junk food. A good example would be that yesterday, although I ate a nice bit of the Fazer chocolate Mervi sent, later that day I also ate a York peppermint patty. One treat once or twice a week is plenty. Two in one day is gluttonous. Given my habits, I'm actually surprised I haven't gained more weight. However, my body is at it's largest. When I hit this size (it's only happened once before) I hit "WAKE UP" call button. There really is no way I can let myself get any bigger. I am straddling the line between overweight and obese. I am part of a statistic of the overweight American. I don't want either.
I think the last time I was this weight might have been in 2002 when my dad was ill. I remember him telling me that I needed to lose weight.
A few months ago I realized walking 3 miles made me tired. That was scary and I got moving again. Now walking 6 miles makes me tired, but I could still do more. I've signed up for a 5K race at the end of September. It takes me about 40-45 minutes to do that distance now because I am also walking a big chunk of it. I know with continued work I can get it down to about 30 minutes. I'm really excited about getting in the swing of things again. While skating today I saw several people running and was excited because I had done mine yesterday.
And what about my skating? OMG! I love it! I have to blame my new found love of hockey for skating. I kept thinking about the motion of skating and how enjoyable it would be. Finally, last week, I bought a nice pair of rollerblades. I also got the elbow, knee, and wrist pads. I stood on them at the store and stayed upright, so I knew I could do this. Well, I guess I had faith in myself. My mother was always a natural at ice skating. When I was little she tried to teach me. It was horrible. I was all wobbly and it was ludicrous. Later, I would ice skate again a little less spastically, but my ankles were still a mess.
I think over the years I realized how my legs work. I have pondered things like posture, gait, whether I tilt in or out, how placement of my feet affects my running. I think I had to get smarter and older to be ready.
So I have now been 5 times on the amazing paved paths at the Crossings Park. Each time has been better than the last. My shins no longer ache. I'm skating with a more fluid movement which means I also am getting the skate part down and am more natural at it. Today I practiced using the brake. This made me feel more confident on the declines (which are few and quite gentle). I got passed by this women my age who said great job and another woman gave me an affirming smile. It's really great how kind people can be to you.
I'm happy it is only August. That means I have months to keep up my skating and get better at it. It also means months of conditioning for 5K races. I think that this activity and more mindfulness in my eating will cause weight loss to happen naturally. I'd like that as much as I'd like to grow old in a healthy and active way.
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